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MSN 1861 Revalidate Certificate of Competency, Tanker Endorsement
MSN 1861 Revalidate Certificate of Competency, Tanker Endorsement
Summary
This Merchant Shipping Note (MSN) sets out and explains the requirements to revalidate all
Certificates of Competency and tanker endorsements under the Standards of Training
Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) Convention and Code. It also details the
requirements to revalidate your Certificate of Competency if you are unable to demonstrate
the required seagoing service or relevant experience.
1. Introduction
2. Requirements to Revalidate a Certificate of Competency
3. Seagoing Service Requirements
4. Medical Standards
5. Updating Safety Training
6. Additional Ancillary Training
7. Removal of High Voltage and ECDIS Limitations
8. Revalidation of a Tanker Endorsement
9. Alternative Route for Revalidation
10. Security Training Requirements
1. Introduction
1
1.2 To revalidate a United Kingdom (UK) STCW Certificate of Competency you must:
2.1 The application form, MSF 4201, details the procedure and fee to revalidate a Certificate
of Competency. The application form is available to download from our website: go to
www.gov.uk and search “MSF 4201”.
• The required seagoing service from section 3.1 and documented in one of the
following:
Masters must also provide a company letter to verify their seagoing service; self-
certified sea time will not be accepted2.
(d) From 1 January 2017 you must provide certificates showing completion of MCA-
approved or accepted updating-refresher training within the last 5 years for:
1 If
you are applying for a Yacht Certificate of Competency, some companies have been approved to
attest documents as true copies. The company must have the MCA’s permission to do this.
2 This is not required if you have a PYA Service Record Book or similar MCA-approved service record
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• Personal Survival Techniques (STCW Table A-VI/1-1);
• Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting (STCW Table A-VI/1-2);
• Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats Other Than Fast Rescue Boats
(STCW Table A-VI/2-1);
• Advanced Fire Fighting (STCW Table A-VI/3);
• For deck officers this is ECDIS training, please refer to section 6.1;
• For engineer officers this is High Voltage training, please refer to sections 6.2 to
6.4;
2.4 Once you have met the requirements listed above and the MCA has processed your
application, the appropriate Certificate of Competency will be revalidated. Certificates of
Competency received for revalidation within a period 6 months prior to expiring shall be
revalidated until the fifth anniversary of the current Certificate of Competency expiry date.
Certificates received outside of this 6 month period will be revalidated for 5 years from the
date of revalidation.
2.5 Deck officers: Your UK GMDSS certificate should be submitted with your revalidation
application so your endorsement expiry date can be synchronised with your Certificate of
Competency.
3All tanker endorsements will be revalidated up until 31 December 2016 if you can demonstrate
approved seagoing service in any tanker for a period of at least 3 months in total in the proceeding 5
years.
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2.6 You must check and meet the current regulatory requirements when you submit
your application to revalidate your Certificate of Competency. Further information
and guidance is available from our website: go to www.gov.uk and search “CoC
Revalidation”.
3.1 To revalidate your Certificate of Competence you must demonstrate approved seagoing
service, performing functions appropriate to the certificate held for a period of either:
Seagoing service in the deck department in the capacity of a Master or deck officer in
seagoing ships of more than 80 GT or 24 metres.
For the revalidation of yacht restricted Certificates of Competency, the MCA will accept
onboard yacht service in the deck department, where you must have served as a Master
or deck officer in yachts of more than 15 metres. Yacht service includes a combination of
actual sea service, stand-by service and/or yard service. For definitions please refer to
MSN 1857.
For the revalidation of a code vessel Certificate of Competency, the MCA will accept at 6
months’ seagoing service (on code vessels) in total during the 5 years immediately prior to
revalidating your Certificate of Competency.
For your Certificate of Competency revalidation, the MCA will accept seagoing service
performed in vessels meeting the above requirements, operating outside of categorised
waters around the coast of the UK or beyond the harbour limits for waters outside the UK. If
you are working on vessels operating in categorised waters, please refer to section 3.5 for
the revalidation requirements.
Seagoing service is defined as time spent onboard a ship, relevant to the issue of the
Certificate of Competency you hold. Seagoing service will be reckoned from the date of
engagement to the date of discharge.
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3.5 Acceptable occupation
If you are unable to demonstrate the above seagoing service you may revalidate your
Certificate of Competency by demonstrating at least 30 months’ employment in an
occupation the MCA considers equivalent to seagoing service, in the 5 years immediately
prior to revalidating your Certificate of Competency. Occupations will be considered
equivalent if you can demonstrate proficiency by virtue of having performed functions
relating to the duties appropriate to Certificate of Competency held. For a list of acceptable
occupations please refer to Annex A.
3.6 If you are unable to meet these requirements you will need to refer to section 9.
4. Medical Standards
4.1 For any Certificate of Competency, you must meet the medical fitness and eyesight
standards as required by the Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention) (Medical
Certification) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/737), or any subsequent amendment. Details on
the application of those regulations are found in MSN 1839 (M), or any subsequent
amendment.
4.2 The seafarer medical examination includes a sight test for both colour vision and visual
acuity. Failure to meet the statutory requirements will mean that an unrestricted medical
certificate cannot be issued.
4.3 For a Certificate of Competency revalidation you must produce a valid medical fitness
certificate, either;
(a) The UK medical fitness certificate, currently known as an ENG1, issued by an MCA-
approved medical practitioner, or
(b) A certificate issued by the administration of any country whose medical fitness
certificate is recognised as equivalent to the UK ENG1.
4.4 The medical fitness certificate must specify the date of examination, the period of validity
and any restriction applied.
5.1 There is no requirement to provide documentary evidence for having completed updating-
refresher training if you are applying to revalidate your Certificate of Competency before 1
January 2017.
5.2 If you are revalidating your Certificates of Competency after 31 December 2016 you will
need to submit documentary evidence of having completed MCA-approved or accepted
updating-refresher training within the previous 5 years for:
5.3 For the revalidation of a Certificate of Competency the MCA will accept updating safety
training courses when approved by an administration with whom it has an agreement to
recognise Certificates of Competency for the purpose of issuing a UK Certificate of
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Equivalent Competence (CEC). To obtain a list of these administrations please refer to our
website: go to www.gov.uk and search “MCA CEC”.
5.4 From 1 January 2017 Port State Control Officers may require you to provide documentary
evidence of having maintained the required standard of competence, to undertake the
tasks, duties and responsibilities listed above. Presenting the documentary evidence
obtained by completing an MCA-approved updating-refresher course will meet this
requirement.
For a list of MCA-approved and accepted courses please refer to www.gov.uk and search
“MCA ATP” or “MCA Approved Training Providers”.
Your original course completion certificate must be submitted with your application for a
Certificate of Competency revalidation. If you do not meet the above requirement you will
receive the following Certificate of Competency limitation:
“From the 1 January 2017 this certificate is not valid for service on ships fitted with
ECDIS”.
Deck officers may subsequently request the removal of this limitation by providing
documentary evidence of MCA-approved ECDIS training.
A High Voltage (over 1000V) system is where the voltage is generated and distributed at
high voltage or transformed to and distributed at high voltage. It does not include systems
where high voltage is utilised locally e.g. ignition systems, radio transmission, radar and
other navigational equipment.
If you do not intend to work on ships with High Voltage systems there is no requirement
for you to undertake additional High Voltage training. If you do not undertake the High
Voltage Training you will received the following Certificate of Competency limitation:
“From the 1 January 2017 this certificate is not valid for service on ships fitted with
High Voltage (over 1000V) systems”.
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If you do not want this limitation placed on your Certificate of Competency you should read
the following section applicable to your certificate.
To avoid having the High Voltage limitation, you will need to show compliance with the
STCW requirements. In addition to the current revalidation requirements, you will have to
provide documentary evidence of:
Seagoing service evidence can be provided in the form of a company letter signed by an
authorised official within the company.
To avoid having the High Voltage limitation, in addition to the current revalidation
requirements, you will have to provide documentary evidence of having completed an
MCA-approved High Voltage (HV) management course.
If you have completed a High Voltage course prior 1 July 2013 that was not MCA-
approved, please refer to Annex B to see if it can be accepted.
7.1 Seafarers with ECDIS or High Voltage Limitations who provide the appropriate
documentary evidence with their application for a Certificate of Competency revalidation
will have the limitation(s) removed. Alternatively, these limitations can be removed by
submitting the appropriate documentary evidence and the fee for an upgrade of a
Certificate of Competency.
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8.1 To revalidate a tanker endorsement with relevant seagoing service
All tanker endorsements will be revalidated up to 31st December 2016 if you can
demonstrate approved seagoing service in a tanker, for a period of at least 3 months in
total in the proceeding 5 years.
For a tanker endorsement to remain valid after 1st January 2017 you must provide
evidence of seagoing service appropriate to the tanker endorsement in your Certificate of
Competency:
If a tanker endorsement(s) cannot be revalidated past 31 December 2016 you will receive
the appropriate limitation(s) in your Certificate of Competency:
“From the 1 January 2017 this certificate is not valid for service on
*oil/chemical/gas/ vegetable oil tankers”
* Include as appropriate
Seafarers may subsequently request the removal of the tanker limitation by providing
documentary evidence of approved training or required seagoing service and the
appropriate fee.
To revalidate your tanker endorsement by this option you must complete either:
To provide evidence that you have completed MCA-approved shipboard training, you
must submit original seagoing service testimonials or a company letter(s) stating the cargo
4 Company and vessel must be MCA approved. For further information please refer to MSN 1866.
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carried and length of service on the vessel together with your discharge book. You must
also submit your original completed MCA-approved training record book
To provide evidence that you have completed MCA-approved advanced tanker training
course you must submit an original course completion certificate.
You may be eligible for a tanker endorsement revalidation if you have gained 30 months’
employment in an occupation that demonstrates continued proficiency equivalent to the
seagoing service required. This time must include regular onboard visits to tanker(s)
appropriate to your endorsement. If you believe you are eligible, you must submit a
company letter signed by your line manager confirming your job title, length of service,
responsibilities and confirmation that you regularly visit relevant tankers and monitor
onboard operations.
If you cannot demonstrate the required seagoing service appropriate to the tanker
certificate or have not completed the relevant MCA-approved training course, you will
have your tanker endorsement removed from your Certificate of Competency.
If you are revalidating a current Certificate of Competency you will not be required to
undertake the additional HELM training. Candidates for new Certificates of Competency,
and those upgrading to the next level, will be required to undertake the HELM training in
full.
9.1 If you are unable to revalidate a Certificate of Competency by providing the evidence
required in section 2 you will need to apply through the alternative revalidation route. A
flow diagram outlining the procedure can be found in Annex C.
If you hold a Certificate of Competency expired within the last 10 years please refer to
section 9.2 below. If you hold a Certificate of Competency expired outside of this 10 year
period please refer to sections 9.7 and 9.8.
9.2 You may apply to the Seafarer Training and Certification Branch for a Notice of Eligibility
(NOE) for an MCA oral examination. On passing the oral examination you will be issued
with a temporary Certificate of Competency for service at a lower rank. After completing 3
months’ seagoing service your Certificate of Competence will be revalidated in full.
Temporary Certificates of Competency will be issued for a period of 6 months; they may
be extended at the discretion of the Chief Examiner.
9.3 If you are either a Deck Officer of the Watch or Engineering Officer of the Watch who
cannot revalidate through the means of paragraph 9.2 in this MSN, you may sit a FULL
Deck Officer of the Watch or Engineering Officer of the Watch oral examination. On
successful completion of the oral examination and providing you meet the other
revalidation requirements, your certificate will be revalidated in full.
9.4 Applications must be submitted to the Seafarer Training and Certification Branch with the
full supporting documentation specified below.
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9.5 The application form MSF 4258 details the procedure and fee to revalidate through the
alternative route. The application form is available to download from our website: go to
www.gov.uk and search “MSF 4258”.
The copy should be stamped, signed and sighted as an original copy. Copies must be clear
and to scale. Your original passport and visa (if required) will be checked against your
Notice of Eligibility at the oral examination.
Once you have completed 3 months’5 seagoing service in the appropriate capacity you should
submit your temporary Certificate of Competency, discharge book or certificates of Discharge
and seagoing service testimonials with a covering letter to the Seafarer Training and
Certification Branch. Once the seagoing service has been checked the MCA will issue you with
a full UK Certificate of Competency.
9.7.1 If you hold a Chief Mate or Master’s Certificates of Competency you must in addition
to the requirements listed in 9.6 (a) to (g) above:
(a) Pass the OOW oral examination ‘C’ (for the syllabus see MGN 69 or any
subsequent publication);
5 Evidence of seagoing service is not required for EOOW or OOW revalidating through paragraph 9.3.
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(b) Whilst holding an OOW II/1 temporary Certificate of Competency serve as an
OOW on seagoing ships of more than 80 GT or 24 metres for at least 3 months;
(c) After obtaining the seagoing service as an OOW pass the appropriate oral
examination for the original Certificate held. For Chief Mate’s oral examination
‘B’ and for Masters oral examination ‘A’ (for the syllabus see MGN 69 or any
subsequent publication).
Holders of an OOW Certificate of Competency who have not been to sea for over 15 years 6
prior to making an application for revalidation must, in addition to the requirements listed in
section 9.6 (a) to (g), successfully complete a NAEST Operational course.
Holders of a Chief Mate or Master’s Certificate of Competency who have not been to sea
for over 15 years6 prior to making an application for revalidation must, in addition to the
requirements listed in sections 9.6 (a) to (g) and 9.7.1 (a) to (c), successfully complete a
NAEST Management course.
(a) Pass the MCA oral examination ‘STCW Reg – III/1 Engineer Officer of the
Watch motor and/or steam’ (for the syllabus see MGN 69 or any subsequent
publication);
(b) Whilst holding an EOOW III/1 temporary Certificate of Competency serve as an
EOOW on seagoing ships of more than 750 kW for at least 3 months;
(c) After obtaining the seagoing service as an EOOW pass the appropriate oral
examination for the original Certificate held. This will be will be either ‘STCW
Reg – III/2 Second Engineer’ or ‘STCW Reg – III/2 Chief Engineer’.
9.8 Additional requirements for revalidation for those who have not been to sea for
over 20 years6 prior to making an application.
9.8.1 Holders of an OOW Certificate of Competency who have not been to sea for over 20
years prior to submitting an application for revalidation must in addition to the
requirements listed in 9.6 (a) to (g) above:
(c) Pass the OOW oral examination ‘C’ (for the syllabus see MGN 69 or any
subsequent publication).
6 If
you cannot provide evidence of when you were last at sea we will use the date of issue of your
Certificate of Competency.
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9.8.2 Holders of a Chief Mate or Master’s Certificate of Competency who have not been to
sea for over 20 years7 prior to making an application must in addition to the
requirements listed in sections 9.6 (a) to (g);
• Navigation;
• Stability and structure.
(d) Pass the appropriate oral examination for the original Certificate held. For
Chief Mate’s oral examination ‘B’ and for Masters oral examination ‘A’ (for the
syllabus see MGN 69 or any subsequent publication).
9.8.3 Holders of an EOOW Certificate of Competency who have not been to sea
for over 20 years7 prior to making an application must in addition to the
requirements listed in 9.6 (a) to (g) above:
(a) Pass the IAMI EOOW written examinations at an approved centre in the
following subjects:
(b) Pass MCA the oral examination ‘STCW Reg – III/1 Engineer Officer of the
Watch’ (for the syllabus see MGN 69 or any subsequent publication).
(a) Pass the applicable SQA Second Engineer or Chief Engineer9 examination
in:
o General;
o Motor and/or steam;
(b) Pass the appropriate oral examination for the original Certificate held. This will be will be
either ‘STCW Reg – III/2 Second Engineer’ or ‘STCW Reg – III/2 Chief Engineer’.
7 If you cannot provide evidence of when you were last at sea we will use the date of issue of your
Certificate of Competency.
8 These sections must be passed in a single attempt. If you fail one or both of the sections you will
examinations will be combined to form one management level ‘Engineering Knowledge’ examination.
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9.9 Shore based refresher training for yacht restricted Certificates of Competency
9.10 To revalidate your yacht restricted Deck Certificate of Competency you must submit your
original course completion certificate and module pass certificate to the MCA with:
10.1 If you are to serve on ships to which the International Ship and Port facility (ISPS) Code
applies, you must hold a Security Awareness certificate (STCW A-VI/6 - 4). If you are
assigned designated security duties aboard a vessel you must obtain a Designated
Security Duties certificate (STCW A-VI/6 - 6 to 8). There is no requirement to submit
these certificates when revalidating your Certificate of Competency.
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More Information
Tel : +44 (0) 23 8032 9(see our website or application forms for number)
Fax : +44 (0) 23 8032 9 N/A.
e-m ail: revalidation@mcga.gov.uk
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Annex A
Acceptable occupations:
A list of occupations which will be favourably considered is given below. It is not exhaustive
and applications from certificate-holders engaged in other occupations may also be
considered. Applications for revalidation may be made by certificate-holders who have been
engaged in the listed occupations for at least 30 months in the preceding 5 years:
• Marine Pilots;
• MCA surveyors;
• Maritime college lecturers;
• Technical, engineering and marine superintendents or ship repair managers;
• Harbour Masters;
• Hydrographic surveyors;
• Classification Society marine surveyors;
• Officers working on vessels of over 24 metres within catergorised waters.
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Annex B
Operational level
Management level
The original certificate and course syllabus must be submitted with your
application.
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Annex C
Alternate Route for Revalidation
Submit application
(MSF 4258) and fee to
Seafarer Training and
Certification (STC)
branch
Yes
Is your Is it a Deck
CoC expiry date over Yes or Engineering Deck A
10 years old? CoC?
No
Engineering
Submit NOE fail to STC
Branch for new NOE Notice of Eligibility
including fee and (NOE) issued
covering letter
B
No
Candidate passes
No
oral exam?
Yes
Completes
3 months seagoing
service
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If you fail any oral exam at any A
stage you must apply to the
MCA for a re-sit and pay the
applicable fee.
Chief Mate/Master
No
Have you
Yes been to sea within the No
last 15 years
Have you
Complete NAEST
been to sea within No
Operational
the last 15 years?
Have you
Pass an OOW oral Complete NAEST been to sea within
examination C Management Yes
the last 20
years?
Complete a NAEST
Management & Pass SQA
Chief Mate/ Master s written
examinations:
OOW CoC issued
Completes 3 months Navigation;
seagoing service at lower Stability and structure.
capacity
Candidate must
submit Original
Required seagoing service Pass oral examination for
Temporary Certificate
submitted to STC Branch the original Certificate held.
and fee for additional
oral exam For Chief Mates oral
examination B and for
Master oral examination A.
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If you fail any oral exam at any
stage you must apply to the B
MCA for a re-sit and pay the
applicable fee.
Have you
been to sea within
Yes No
the last 20
years? Pass an OOW oral
Yes
examination C
Completes 3 months
seagoing service at lower
capacity
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